La Trappe trappist Quadrupel on draft.. goes great with our new Poutine (Belgian Fries with homemade bacon cheddar gravy).

Last Thursday, seeing as how it happened to be Canada Day, Heather and I declared that we would celebrate with some poutine. We made our way to The Victory Bar.

We shared a plate of poutine and an order of hushpuppies. The excellent french fries (virtually all the Portland poutineries have good fries) were stacked high with chunks of melty cheddar. The bacon gravy rested mostly at the bottom the plate, but morsels of thick cut bacon remained atop the fries and cheddar. The poutine was excellent. The hush puppies were good too. I washed my share down with the delicious Line Dry Rye from Oakshire Brewing.

We’ll be back, both for the poutine and to the peruse the amazing beer selection more thoroughly . . .

The Victory Bar
3652 SE Division St. (37th & SE Division)
Portland, Oregon 97202
Web: www.thevictorybar.com
Twitter: @VictoryBar

Now go eat some poutine!

Potato Champion is the grandaddy of Portland poutine. I have no doubt that more Portlanders tried poutine for the first time at this modest food cart parked at the corner of SE Hawthorne and 12th than at any other poutine purveyor in town.

The fries are excellent, and there are plenty of cheese curds plopped on top. The gravy though, is strange. It’s oniony and tart (but not vinegary, and not sweet like at Fats Pub). Due to the tang, It’s not my personal favorite, though plenty of Portlander swear by Potato Champion’s poutine.

Indeed, my brother Steve, visiting from Elko, Nevada, tried Potato Champion poutine for his first time on recent return to Portland, and he was quite amenable to the tang.

Potato Champion
SE 12 and Hawthorne Food Cart Pod
Portland, OR
Web: www.potatochampion.com

When Heather lived in NW Portland, the Laurelwood NW Public House was one of our favorite weekend brunch spots. But since we moved to North Portland, we seldom have reason to visit the neighborhood. Recently, however, we learned that the menu had been revamped, and that one new menu (pdf) item in particular would provide the impetus to revisit Heather’s old stomping grounds:

Poutine $5/$8
House Cut Fries, Cheese Curds,
Mother Lode Golden Ale Gravy

Before the Timbers match Saturday, we visited Laurelwood for beers and snacks. And of course, we ordered the poutine.

The small was plenty. And wow, this is good poutine. The french fries are a mix of sizes and crispinesses, the cheese curds are plentiful and cheddary, and the Mother Lode Golden Ale Gravy is delicious. This is one of the better poutines in town.

I believe we’ll be making trips back to the old neighborhood more often.

Laurelwood NW Public House
2327 NW Kearney Street
Portland, OR 97210
Phone: 503-228-5553
Web: www.laurelwoodbrewpub.com

Poutine $5/$8
House Cut Fries, Cheese Curds,
Mother Lode Golden Ale Gravy

I hope to stop by this weekend – the Mother Lode Golden Ale Gravy sounds intriguing . . .

Irving Street Kitchen (701 NW 13th) opened recently in the Pearl District, and the restaurant received pre-opening press that included this mention of my favorite Canadian foodstuff:

On the side is poutine, a french-fries, cheese-curds and ham-hock gravy mash-up ($6).

But I am a bit concerned that poutine was only a special, because it is not listed on the menu (pdf) found on the website . . . we’ll see!

Hat tip to Devlyn of Savor Portland. She brought both of these items to my attention on the Twitter. (Follow her @SavorPDX, and follow me at @PortlandPoutine!)